Financial Wellness Workshop: Your DIY Toolkit

Start your financial spreadsheets with Richard Coburn

When your line of work is known for inconsistent income and varying payment schedules, it can be good to have some help to keep it all straight. Even if you have an accountant, a good spreadsheet can really take the mystery out of one’s personal finances. Getting started can be tricky, so we have invited Richard Coburn to help freelancers and gig workers stay on top of their finances. 

This workshop is for beginners and those looking for a refresher with skills and knowledge to help

• better understand your personal financial landscape;
• prepare for tax season, including knowing how much money to put aside for taxes;
• build simple tools that will immediately improve your financial planning.

There is no abstract theory in this workshop – it is 100% practical. Richard will walk participants step-by-step through a personal finance spreadsheet, providing options for various difficulty levels. Participants will experiment with it in real-time and have their questions answered. 

Accessibility: ASL interpretation and closed captioning. Please get in touch if you require additional accommodations. Space is limited.

This workshop is presented as part of The AFC’s Financial Wellness Program, made possible through the generous support from Richard Rooney and Laura Dinner.

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Richard Coburn (he/him)

“I was hired as the organist of Christ Church Calgary—whose choir is a regular guest at Westminster Abby—despite having no formal organ training. I’ve developed a conflict resolution and negotiation workshop, which I have shared with hundreds of young musicians through the Kennedy Center, the San Francisco Conservatory, and the Association for Opera in Canada. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

Earlier in my career, I focused most of that entrepreneurial energy on learning to understand classical music more deeply. I performed across North America and China. I worked as an operatic and choral music director, pianist, organist, vocal coach, arranger, and composer. More recently, I have created BIPOC Voices. This project helps arts organizations across North America program vocal music by BIPOC creators.

Through all of this, I have loved to share what I’ve learned with others, first as a piano teacher, then a vocal coach, and today as an instructor of entrepreneurship for musicians at McGill University.”